Not too bad at all if you have nothing else on hand. Tried both the regular and whole wheat. Actually, making pizzas with it a while back was so much fun, it led me to this site and now I'm deep, deep within the "pizza" rabbit hole. Currently working on my Hasty-Bake grill wood-fired Neapolitan pizza oven project. Not too long now. Just a stepping stone towards full acceptance from the significant other for a true WFO. Take care!

Thanks guys. I had one dough ball from my Sunday shopping and used it last night. Along with Norma; I too have tried many different ready made dough balls...both frozen and "fresh" from your grocers refrigerator case(I like saying those last 6 words ).Anyway, this TJ thing was by far the most cooperative one of them all so far. Opened like I was a pizza twirling champ. Unfortunately it was about half blown though and the rise/spring of this one was disappointing to say the least. Accordingly, it was sugar full and wanted to burn. But there was some flava in there and I definetly think I will try again. Now I realize the importance of how to properly pick an choose which to buy at my local store....they are all kinda hap hazardedly bunched together in varios stages of fermentation....right there in my grocers refrigerator case.

Good to hear about your experiment with your fresh Trader Joe's dough ball. Did the Trader Joey's dough ball have a use by date? Do you have a photo, or know what ingredients were in the dough ball? As you already know I have played around with frozen premade dough balls and am always interested in knowing how the final pizzas turn out. How did you bake the pizza? Was it on a stone or some other way.

Good to hear about your experiment with your fresh Trader Joe's dough ball. Did the Trader Joey's dough ball have a use by date? Do you have a photo, or know what ingredients were in the dough ball? As you already know I have played around with frozen premade dough balls and am always interested in knowing how the final pizzas turn out. How did you bake the pizza? Was it on a stone or some other way.

Norma

Norma,I cooked that TJ dough up as a NY style pizza on a stone...I think you would find it interesting. It was the first time I baked a dough that; even at a fairly low temp, wanted to char real easily. Like some of the pics I see here sometimes of a NY pie that looks almost burnt(to me) but you'll see a bunch of the veterans here really come out to compliment the person who posted that charred pizza. I made 2 pies and had to cool the oven a bit to slow things down for the second pizza.

I didn't document or have any of the information you have asked about, unfortunately. But I'll get more dough balls this weekend and have the info for you probably this Sunday evening, no problemo.

Norma,I cooked that TJ dough up as a NY style pizza on a stone...I think you would find it interesting. It was the first time I baked a dough that; even at a fairly low temp, wanted to char real easily. Like some of the pics I see here sometimes of a NY pie that looks almost burnt(to me) but you'll see a bunch of the veterans here really come out to compliment the person who posted that charred pizza. I made 2 pies and had to cool the oven a bit to slow things down for the second pizza.

I didn't document or have any of the information you have asked about, unfortunately. But I'll get more dough balls this weekend and have the info for you probably this Sunday evening, no problemo.

Bob

Bob,

Thanks for telling me how you baked the Trader Joe's dough. I wonder why it really wanted to char easily. I find that interesting. Will be interested in your next experiments with the Trader Joe's dough balls.

Thanks for telling me how you baked the Trader Joe's dough. I wonder why it really wanted to char easily. I find that interesting. Will be interested in your next experiments with the Trader Joe's dough balls.

Norma

I don't know Norma; like I stated , I think it was a blown or nearly blown dough and if my learning from here is correct that would mean much more sugar has developed..or do I have that backwards?

I think the way they get tossed and moved around at TJ's these "fresh" dough balls go through a lot of warm ups(rises)and then deflated and then that cycle gets repeated who knows how many times.

I was thinking that these are probably kept frozen in the back somewhere so this weekend I'm going to ask if I can buy some frozen ones and that way I can give them just 1 good warm up on my counter after thawing them in the frig..

I don't know Norma; like I stated , I think it was a blown or nearly blown dough and if my learning from here is correct that would mean much more sugar has developed..or do I have that backwards?

I think the way they get tossed and moved around at TJ's these "fresh" dough balls go through a lot of warm ups(rises)and then deflated and then that cycle gets repeated who knows how many times.

I was thinking that these are probably kept frozen in the back somewhere so this weekend I'm going to ask if I can buy some frozen ones and that way I can give them just 1 good warm up on my counter after thawing them in the frig..

Bob,

I really don't know if a dough is blown or nearly blown if that would mean that would be more sugar in the dough. You have to remember that I sure can't recall everything that is posted here on the forum about dough at my old age. What I usually found though, is when doughs balls are fermented for a long while, is then the rim of the crust usually gets lighter during the bake.

Maybe you can ask about the TJ's dough balls and how they are when they get them delivered. If they are really fresh then pick the ones that have the farthest use by date. If they are really frozen before they put them out for sale, then get frozen ones.

I really don't know if a dough is blown or nearly blown if that would mean that would be more sugar in the dough. You have to remember that I sure can't recall everything that is posted here on the forum about dough at my old age. What I usually found though, is when doughs balls are fermented for a long while, is then the rim of the crust usually gets lighter during the bake.

Maybe you can ask about the TJ's dough balls and how they are when they get them delivered. If they are really fresh then pick the ones that have the farthest use by date. If they are really frozen before they put them out for sale, then get frozen ones.

My experience with TJ dough was I couldn't stretch it at all. It very rubber-like in that respect. The package says to let it warm up for 20-minutes. Maybe I would have had better luck if I gave it a couple of hours.

My experience with TJ dough was I couldn't stretch it at all. It very rubber-like in that respect. The package says to let it warm up for 20-minutes. Maybe I would have had better luck if I gave it a couple of hours.

j,I'm inclined to believe it depends on how your particular store handles the storing of these dough balls. My experience was the opposite of yours...dough was overly extensible and required a reball. After a counter rest it was darn near perfect; opening wise. Yes, yours would have relaxed if left for an hour or 2 on counter(at least it's supposed to ).

My experience with TJ dough was I couldn't stretch it at all. It very rubber-like in that respect. The package says to let it warm up for 20-minutes. Maybe I would have had better luck if I gave it a couple of hours.

Even when I let it warm up for 3 hours it was still very elastic and wouldn't stretch well. That being said, when you're in a hurry or need a little extra, it will work.

I personally don't get uptight about anyone using refrigerated or frozen pizza doughs, including those from Trader Joe's, Pepe's, regular supermarkets, specialty markets, etc. Some members start their pizza making careers with such commercial doughs and gradually learn to make their own doughs, and some purchase commercial doughs for convenience in making last minute pizzas. We have a small number of members who only use frozen dough balls but they are few and far between. That doesn't bother me. That is their prerogative. I don't even care if they buy frozen pizzas.

Having looked at a lot of frozen and refrigerated dough balls in my time, I found that a common problem is that it is hard to tell where they are in their fermentation cycles. It actually takes a fair amount of pizza making knowledge to know how to optimize the results when using frozen and refrigerated pizza dough, and especially the refrigerated variety. It also doesn't help that there are so many different refrigerated/frozen dough formulations. I can pretty much tell what to do by reading the ingredients lists and Nutrition Facts but that has only come from years of researching such information.